CGI

A discussion about hockey and zombies, corpses in tubs and getting hit with the hatchet for the fourth time!

House of Tortured Souls:Hey everyone! Horrormadam here to bring you a great conversation I had with Visual Effects and editing mastermind Jeremy Wanek. He is such a great person and we had a really fun talk and I wanted to let you guys in on the fun! Our first topic to discuss was some of the projects that he has been working on.Jeremy Wanek:Victor Crowley coming out February 6, 2018. Worked on the VFX for the opening sequence, editing, and death sequences.Most people think the effects are 100% practical (a practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques) with a little CG (computer generated images) and some definitely are but with a few enhancements to make them a little bigger.Enhancements to practical effects happen more in horror films. It is great to shoot practical, but CG works best when you can use it to enhance. That’s what Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet 1 and 2) does when he shoots his movies.

Victor Crowley, flare effect, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

It was my first time working with Kane Hodder and Adam Green. It’s interesting how it worked out. I am from Minneapolis and it’s always interesting trying to reach out to people in LA or NY, but a lot of the work I do is for people on the coasts. So I am a fan of Adam Greens podcast The Movie Crypt that he does with Joe Lynch(Wrong Turn 2, Mayhem), so I wanted to try to get a hold of Adam to see if I could possibly get work to do on his film.and I was on FB when I saw that he replies back to many people that ask him questions or comment on his stuff. So I just basically told him how much I love his work and thank you for all that he does on his podcast and that I would be willing to do a few shots for him on the project that he has upcoming for free. He replied back to me and said that’s awesome and told me to get in touch with his .com contact page and message them to get on the books, and a few weeks later I got a message from the webpage saying that Adam would like to talk to me about an upcoming project that he was doing and we ended up having a Skype conversation for about half an hour where he unveiled that he was doing the 4th Hatchet movie. It was cool for it to be that because it was the most exciting thing that I could have worked on for him. It was gonna originally be 10 shots then it kept expanding to 15 then 25 to about 50 shots and then at the very end the opening sequence was kind of thrust at me and I finished that in about a week or two. For the first minute and a half of the film after the cold open, there’s a sequence, except he didn’t want to have an opening title he just wanted a sequence that basically gives you a summary of what happened in parts 1-3 and kind of a build-up to the 4th one. Like what happened to Victor Crowley up to that point. He was pretty open and let me be creative with what I wanted to do with it, which was cool especially since we only had about a week or two to do it. Finished it two days before the LA premiere which was pretty exciting.

The other project I am working on is a film about hockey and zombies, Ahockalypse. It is one of the weirdest and possibly funniest movies I have ever worked on and it does not take itself to seriously. It is basically about a zombie outbreak that happens during a championship hockey match. The team suddenly starts to realize what is happening kind of like Shaun of the Dead. But Ahockalypse takes it to a whole other level, Shaun of the Dead seems pretty tame in comparison. They get into some weird situations and you get to meet a lot of very interesting characters trying to survive the zombie hordes. It has an appearance by big-time hockey player Barry Melrose (NHL player for the Toronto Maple Leafs and former coach of the LA Kings). There’s kung-fu zombies and zombie kids in some really interesting scenes. Hopefully, it will be done in the next month or two and released by the end of the year. I did the editing and VFX on this one.

Another project is Corpse Tub that is being produced by Elijah Wood. His production company, Company X does some really interesting indie films. It also has MarVista Entertainment and Tamperclean Films. It has an amazing cast, Dan Harmon (Community, Arrested Development) is in it and Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok), Sam Huntington (Detroit Rock City, Fanboys) Kate Micucci (Will and Grace, The Big Bang Theory) and so many other great comedic actors. It’s about a small-town couple finds the perfect apartment in the big city, except there’s one catch: the apartment is home to the ritualistic suicides of a deranged cult that keep happening in the tub. I don’t know too much more on that one, only did about 25 shots but what I have seen is hilarious and I am really looking forward to that one.

Black Creek, TapedUp, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Also worked on Black Creek that was done by the same producer as Ahockalypse, Craig Patrick (Zombie Spring Breakers), but this one was done first. It is about a troubled young man and his brash sister are terrorized by signs that an ancient Native-American spirit, awakened by a ritual murder, has marked them for death.

Black Creek, Possession, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Like one of those films where the killer transfers from body to body so it is hard to identify the real killer. It is with Chris O’Flyng who created his own amazing YouTube channel. VFX and editing on this one.

Jeremy also worked on Dementia 13 which has the amazing Julia Campanelli (Walking Away, Pink Moon) about a vengeful ghost, a mysterious killer, and a family where everyone has a secret converge in one night of terror in this remake of Francis Ford Coppola’s first feature film. Jeremy was the lead compositor/lead visual effects artist for it.

Dementia13, BeforeVFX

Dementia13, AfterVFX, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Dementia13, BeforeVFX

Dementia13, AfterVFX, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

HoTS: So then I asked Jeremy how he got into doing all of this amazing work.JW: Since I was young I always wanted to tell stories in one way or another. I got my first video camera and I shot a lot of horror. I was always into violent things like Mortal Kombat and other similar video games. The fighting games kind of shaped my influences. I made a lot of fighting movies with my friends and I liked every part of it. Directing, writing, editing, and VFX came naturally because we couldn’t really afford anything and it was always just easier to do it in post, to manipulate it however I wanted.

HoTS: Then I wanted to know about what films influenced his work.JW: Some of my favorite horror films are Jaws, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hatchet, and Behind the Mask, which influenced me more than any other because it was so unique and it was super fun and playful. The John Carpenter version of The Thing, Hellraiser, and Final Destination. One of my favorite directors is M. Night Shyamalan. He always gets a bad rap which I think is because he made The Sixth Sense which was nominated for an Oscar and people expected so much from him. Maybe too much. Signs is one of my faves and he is definitely back on track with Split and the upcoming Glass. Jurassic Park really made me want to do FX. I remember being in a doctors office and I saw a magazine that had a picture of the T-Rex and I was so amazed at how good it looked and when I saw it on screen I was blown away. Some others are Terminator 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, Dumb & Dumber, and Pulp Fiction.

For editing, it would be Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Series, Touch of Evil). His lessons, teachings, and his book In The Blink Of An Eye where he talks about how to cut from one shot to the next. He realized when he was editing one of his movies he noticed he wanted to cut close to when someone was about to blink and the reason for that is when someone is having a conversation and they blink, “And that blink will occur where a cut could have happened had the conversation been filmed. Not a frame earlier or later.” I also really like Kirk Baxter (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, The Social Network) that David Fincher uses. His workflow that he uses is the same one that I emulate. I have a lot of connection to his work. Also Alfred Hitchcock, and Mike Flanagan for (Oculus, Hush, and Ouija: Origin of Evil).

I and the House of Tortured Souls really want to thank Jeremy for taking time out from his extremely busy schedule to talk with us and share the 411 on some amazing new films and shorts! Looking forward to seeing so more of his work in the future!

A discussion about hockey and zombies, corpses in tubs and getting hit with the hatchet for the fourth time!

House of Tortured Souls:Hey everyone! Horrormadam here to bring you a great conversation I had with Visual Effects and editing mastermind Jeremy Wanek. He is such a great person and we had a really fun talk and I wanted to let you guys in on the fun! Our first topic to discuss was some of the projects that he has been working on.Jeremy Wanek:Victor Crowley coming out February 6, 2018. Worked on the VFX for the opening sequence, editing, and death sequences.Most people think the effects are 100% practical (a practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques) with a little CG (computer generated images) and some definitely are but with a few enhancements to make them a little bigger.Enhancements to practical effects happen more in horror films. It is great to shoot practical, but CG works best when you can use it to enhance. That’s what Adam Green (Frozen, Hatchet 1 and 2) does when he shoots his movies.

Victor Crowley, flare effect, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

It was my first time working with Kane Hodder and Adam Green. It’s interesting how it worked out. I am from Minneapolis and it’s always interesting trying to reach out to people in LA or NY, but a lot of the work I do is for people on the coasts. So I am a fan of Adam Greens podcast The Movie Crypt that he does with Joe Lynch(Wrong Turn 2, Mayhem), so I wanted to try to get a hold of Adam to see if I could possibly get work to do on his film.and I was on FB when I saw that he replies back to many people that ask him questions or comment on his stuff. So I just basically told him how much I love his work and thank you for all that he does on his podcast and that I would be willing to do a few shots for him on the project that he has upcoming for free. He replied back to me and said that’s awesome and told me to get in touch with his .com contact page and message them to get on the books, and a few weeks later I got a message from the webpage saying that Adam would like to talk to me about an upcoming project that he was doing and we ended up having a Skype conversation for about half an hour where he unveiled that he was doing the 4th Hatchet movie. It was cool for it to be that because it was the most exciting thing that I could have worked on for him. It was gonna originally be 10 shots then it kept expanding to 15 then 25 to about 50 shots and then at the very end the opening sequence was kind of thrust at me and I finished that in about a week or two. For the first minute and a half of the film after the cold open, there’s a sequence, except he didn’t want to have an opening title he just wanted a sequence that basically gives you a summary of what happened in parts 1-3 and kind of a build-up to the 4th one. Like what happened to Victor Crowley up to that point. He was pretty open and let me be creative with what I wanted to do with it, which was cool especially since we only had about a week or two to do it. Finished it two days before the LA premiere which was pretty exciting.

The other project I am working on is a film about hockey and zombies, Ahockalypse. It is one of the weirdest and possibly funniest movies I have ever worked on and it does not take itself to seriously. It is basically about a zombie outbreak that happens during a championship hockey match. The team suddenly starts to realize what is happening kind of like Shaun of the Dead. But Ahockalypse takes it to a whole other level, Shaun of the Dead seems pretty tame in comparison. They get into some weird situations and you get to meet a lot of very interesting characters trying to survive the zombie hordes. It has an appearance by big-time hockey player Barry Melrose (NHL player for the Toronto Maple Leafs and former coach of the LA Kings). There’s kung-fu zombies and zombie kids in some really interesting scenes. Hopefully, it will be done in the next month or two and released by the end of the year. I did the editing and VFX on this one.

Another project is Corpse Tub that is being produced by Elijah Wood. His production company, Company X does some really interesting indie films. It also has MarVista Entertainment and Tamperclean Films. It has an amazing cast, Dan Harmon (Community, Arrested Development) is in it and Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Thor: Ragnarok), Sam Huntington (Detroit Rock City, Fanboys) Kate Micucci (Will and Grace, The Big Bang Theory) and so many other great comedic actors. It’s about a small-town couple finds the perfect apartment in the big city, except there’s one catch: the apartment is home to the ritualistic suicides of a deranged cult that keep happening in the tub. I don’t know too much more on that one, only did about 25 shots but what I have seen is hilarious and I am really looking forward to that one.

Black Creek, TapedUp, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Also worked on Black Creek that was done by the same producer as Ahockalypse, Craig Patrick (Zombie Spring Breakers), but this one was done first. It is about a troubled young man and his brash sister are terrorized by signs that an ancient Native-American spirit, awakened by a ritual murder, has marked them for death.

Black Creek, Possession, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Like one of those films where the killer transfers from body to body so it is hard to identify the real killer. It is with Chris O’Flyng who created his own amazing YouTube channel. VFX and editing on this one.

Jeremy also worked on Dementia 13 which has the amazing Julia Campanelli (Walking Away, Pink Moon) about a vengeful ghost, a mysterious killer, and a family where everyone has a secret converge in one night of terror in this remake of Francis Ford Coppola’s first feature film. Jeremy was the lead compositor/lead visual effects artist for it.

Dementia13, BeforeVFX

Dementia13, AfterVFX, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

Dementia13, BeforeVFX

Dementia13, AfterVFX, Jeremy Wanek, VFX artist

HoTS: So then I asked Jeremy how he got into doing all of this amazing work.JW: Since I was young I always wanted to tell stories in one way or another. I got my first video camera and I shot a lot of horror. I was always into violent things like Mortal Kombat and other similar video games. The fighting games kind of shaped my influences. I made a lot of fighting movies with my friends and I liked every part of it. Directing, writing, editing, and VFX came naturally because we couldn’t really afford anything and it was always just easier to do it in post, to manipulate it however I wanted.

HoTS: Then I wanted to know about what films influenced his work.JW: Some of my favorite horror films are Jaws, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hatchet, and Behind the Mask, which influenced me more than any other because it was so unique and it was super fun and playful. The John Carpenter version of The Thing, Hellraiser, and Final Destination. One of my favorite directors is M. Night Shyamalan. He always gets a bad rap which I think is because he made The Sixth Sense which was nominated for an Oscar and people expected so much from him. Maybe too much. Signs is one of my faves and he is definitely back on track with Split and the upcoming Glass. Jurassic Park really made me want to do FX. I remember being in a doctors office and I saw a magazine that had a picture of the T-Rex and I was so amazed at how good it looked and when I saw it on screen I was blown away. Some others are Terminator 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, Dumb & Dumber, and Pulp Fiction.

For editing, it would be Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Series, Touch of Evil). His lessons, teachings, and his book In The Blink Of An Eye where he talks about how to cut from one shot to the next. He realized when he was editing one of his movies he noticed he wanted to cut close to when someone was about to blink and the reason for that is when someone is having a conversation and they blink, “And that blink will occur where a cut could have happened had the conversation been filmed. Not a frame earlier or later.” I also really like Kirk Baxter (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, The Social Network) that David Fincher uses. His workflow that he uses is the same one that I emulate. I have a lot of connection to his work. Also Alfred Hitchcock, and Mike Flanagan for (Oculus, Hush, and Ouija: Origin of Evil).

I and the House of Tortured Souls really want to thank Jeremy for taking time out from his extremely busy schedule to talk with us and share the 411 on some amazing new films and shorts! Looking forward to seeing so more of his work in the future!

First off, let me say I was pretty excited to get a screener for Gremlin as I was a huge fan of Ryan's previous film Army of Frankensteins, which was a balls to the wall action horror which played like old school Doom(and that is more than OK with me). But sometimes that excited joy can turn to disappointment. Gremlin, not to be confused with Joe Dante’s seminal horror comedy Gremlins is about a mysterious box hiding a nasty little surprise inside. If you are unlucky enough to receive it, you must pass it along to someone you truly love or it will destroy everyone in its path. As much as I hate to bash Bellgardt, I just have to be honest. Gremlin tries hard to be a family drama wrapped in a high concept monster movie but sadly it struggles to do it right. But to be far this is a tricky thing to pull off correctly but is possible, films like Stake Land and the more recent (and brilliant) The Monster (2016) really mesh the two genres seamlessly.

The film gets weighed down in poorly written dialogue, all over the place acting (and I’m using that term very loosely mind you), and plot holes and contrivances that boggle the mind. And then there is the creature... I mean elephant in the room - that being the really poor CGI (think made for SyFy movie) which takes the audience right out of the film. Part of what I loved about Ryan’s previous film was the fact that it for the most part he used practical effects (and damn well, I thought) so why he would choose to follow it up with a hacky CG film is beyond me. But I think what hampers this project the most is in the painfully earnest way it forgets to have a bit of fun with the monster genre and we, the viewers, are left to wade through tired melodrama. Again, as I mentioned above, marrying the drama and horror genre together really is a hard thing to do successfully, so if you know you can’t, why not have some fun with it?

I will give credit where credit is due and say the film is well shot and Bellgardt clearly knows the technical side of film and he frames and lights things to their upmost effectiveness. It also sports a great score. I so wanted this film to be as creative and enjoyable as Army of Frankensteins, but instead of maturing, Ryan traded in his steampunk Indie cred for something altogether unremarkable. I know I beat this film up, but I can see Mr. Bellgardt was really trying for something different and for that I give him huge props. I am still looking forward to his next film - a mash up of Jurassic Park and The Hunger Games as it seems like a return to Army of Frankensteins style madcap fun.